Iran, Foreign Firms Confer On Mineral Investment: Official

Tehran, Sept 13, IRNA - A senior Iranian official said here on Saturday that the country negotiated with Indian, Kuwaiti, Russian and Kazakh companies for their participation in the mineral industry projects within the last Iranian calendar (ended March 20, 2014). The head of the Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization (IMIDRO) said that the negotiations were focused on foreign companies participation in 51 percent of mineral industry projects. Mehdi Karbasian made the remarks in a gathering attended by the IMIDRO managers. Karbasian stressed that the foreign investment in the mining sector would play a pivotal role in creating job opportunities for local youths in the mineral-rich regions. Over 5,400 active mines were identified across the country last year of which some 420 million tons of minerals have been extracted./end